[RARE 1st American Ed 1910] China Under the Empress Dowager - J.O.P. Bland & E. Backhouse 1910年美國首版濮蘭德與白克浩司《慈禧太后統治下的中國》黃布精裝

A rare First American Edition (1910) of China Under the Empress Dowager: Being the History of the Life and Times of Tzŭ Hsi, co-authored by J. O. P. Bland and Sir Edmund Backhouse, published simultaneously with the London edition by J. B. Lippincott Company.

This landmark work offers a detailed chronicle of Empress Dowager Cixi's de facto reign from her 1861 coup through the Taiping Rebellion, the 1898 Hundred Days' Reform, the Boxer Uprising of 1900, and her final years. Compiled purportedly from official Qing state papers, court documents, and private imperial diaries (including the famous Jingshan diary and letters by Chief Eunuch Li Lien-ying), the volume features rich historical plates—including photographs taken by K. Ogawa and Cixi’s court photographer—alongside a folding double-page Map of Peking.

A Cornerstone of 20th-Century Western Sinology: Published in 1910—just two years after Cixi's death and on the eve of the 1911 Xinhai Revolution—this monumental work shaped early 20th-century Western perceptions of Late Qing court dynamics and imperial diplomacy.

Rich Visual Archives: Features rare, authentic period plates, including 1903 portraits of Empress Dowager Cixi, detailed interior photos of Forbidden City halls (Yang Hsin Tien, Tai Ho Tien), facsimile reproductions of Chief Eunuch Li Lien-ying's letters, and a full double-page map of Peking.

Binding & Cover: Publisher's original yellow cloth with red stamped titles on spine. Light shelf wear to spine ends and corners; general surface age-toning typical for yellow cloth of this era.

Interior & Plates: Endpapers carry a vintage owner stamp (O. H. Perry Cabot, Springfield, Va.). Interior exhibits mild-to-moderate age foxing on preliminary pages, but text block remains tight, clean, and complete. All plates, facsimiles, and the double-page Map of Peking are intact and clean.

Edition Details: First American Edition, 1910 (MCMX), J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia (Printed in England).

本書為 1910 年由 J. B. Lippincott Company（費城）與 William Heinemann（倫敦）聯合出版的西方近代中國史巨著《慈禧太后統治下的中國》（China Under the Empress Dowager）。由著名記者濮蘭德（J. O. P. Bland）與漢學家白克浩司（Edmund Backhouse）合著。

全書以第一手朝廷奏折、宮廷檔案及清宮總管大臣（如景善日記、李蓮英信札）為依據，詳實記錄了慈禧太后（1835–1908）自 1861 年發動辛酉政變垂簾聽政起，歷經同治中興、洋務運動、甲午戰爭、戊戌變法、義和團運動至八國聯軍西狩的四十年晚清風雲。書中收錄大量由宮廷攝影師勳齡及小川一真拍攝的珍貴歷史照片，以及精美的北京城雙頁地圖與清宮書信複製頁。

西方東亞觀念的奠基石： 本書於 1910 年出版（即慈禧太后去世後兩年、辛亥革命前夕），是西方世界了解晚清帝國宮廷政治與慈禧太后個人權力運作最主要的史料來源，在 20 世紀初引起國際社會巨大反響。

珍貴視覺史料： 書中附有豐富的插圖，包括 1903 年慈禧太后肖像、宮廷內務府建築（養心殿、體和殿）、北京城歷史地圖，以及清代太監總管李蓮英手札的彩印複製件，具有極高的歷史影像與藝術收藏價值。

裝訂與外觀： 原廠黃色布面精裝（Publisher's Original Yellow Cloth），書脊紅字印製。封面與書脊保存完整，角落與脊頭脊尾有年代自然微磨損。

內頁狀況： 蝴蝶頁帶有前收藏家（O. H. Perry Cabot, Springfield, Va.）的歷史藏書印章。內頁有自然歲月斑點（Foxing），無缺頁、無劃線筆記；內頁結構牢固，插圖與地圖折頁保存良好。

出版資訊： 1910 年美版初印（MCMX / Printed in England / J. B. Lippincott Company）。